NEW YORK—Pioneering director Michel Gondry made his name with quirky, lower-budget films that find fans both in and out of the art house. Now, with his latest film about to hit theaters, he's bringing his off-the-wall sensibility to the art gallery again.

This weekend Deitch Projects, which bills itself as “active in exploring the new convergence of art, fashion, music, and performance,” opens its second collaboration with Gondry. In 2006, the SoHo gallery hosted “The Science of Sleep: An Exhibition of Sculpture and Creepy Pathological Little Gifts,” a popular exhibition that included eccentric trinkets Gondry had made for his exes and an interactive work with a piano that played video clips of a person hitting the same notes visitors pressed. Next up, from February 16 through March 22, is “Be Kind Rewind,” an exhibition inspired by Gondry’s latest film (in theaters February 22), in which two video-store clerks, played by Jack Black and Mos Def, re-create mistakenly erased stock in hilarious home movies.

Starting with his first feature film, 2001’s Human Nature, Gondry, now 44, has attracted attention for his unorthodox narrative techniques and low-budget special effects. His innovative camera techniques, such as “bullet time”—in which a camera moving at a normal speed slows normally imperceptibly quick events (like moving bullets) to a viewable pace—have become industry standards. He has also won renown for his writing, winning a Best Original Screenplay Oscar in 2005 for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, co-written with Charlie Kauffman.

Gondry began his career as a teen in Versailles, France, creating music videos for his band, Oui Oui. His use of stop-motion animation attracted Björk, which led to collaborations with her and other top performers. He also dabbled in advertising, creating one of the most celebrated commercials ever, a 1994 ad for Levi’s that manages to portray wit, heart, and dark comedy in less than two minutes. But advertising didn’t hold Gondry’s attention for long: As he told the New York Times in 2006, the field is “dangerous for a director: The point of view in a commercial has to be expressed in 20 seconds, which is too simplistic for any other form. And the money is too good in commercials—you are always in luxury. I always knew that it wouldn’t be wise to get used to those conditions.”

ARTINFO talked to Gondry about bringing his particular vision to Deitch.

How did you transition from film to the art world?

I’ve been tempted by the art world for years, but I didn’t know how to approach it. I had some ideas and some concepts and some friends working in art, but my time was more consumed with making movies. Jeffrey Deitch was the first person to approach me with the idea to connect my work in film with a gallery, so we worked with that on Science of Sleep and now we continue with Be Kind Rewind. I’m not sure my works is really pure art—it would take me maybe years to become a proper professional artist—but there is some element of art in my project that can very much work in the gallery.

How involved were you with the installations at Deitch?

I’m very involved in that I’m the architect, but I have some people building stuff, painting, and making all sorts of decisions as well.

Both the Science of Sleep and Be Kind Rewind exhibitions involve audience participation. Why is that?

Since I was a kid I’ve always liked  how science museums have very artistic setups but encourage you to participate and learn something. I always dreamed to create a museum with this element of participation, and in the Be Kind Rewind exhibition I’ve created a mini-set where people can tell their stories and a workshop that helps people write down the stories they want to tell. Then there’s the video store, like it is in the movie, for people to store their creations. Within two hours, you come with a group of five to 15 people, make a film, and leave with it sitting in the store for others to watch. You have to schedule the session: You can come as a visitor and have a look around and put your name on a list, or you can reserve a time through the Internet.